Haplozetes valbehanae, Ermilov, 2016

Ermilov, S. G., 2016, Additions to the oribatid mite fauna (Acari, Oribatida) of Ethiopia: results of the Joint Russian-Ethiopian Biological Expedition (2014) to the vicinity of Lake Tana, Acarologia 56 (3), pp. 367-378 : 370-376

Haplozetes valbehanae n. sp.

( Figures 1–5)

Diagnosis — Body size: 282 – 348 × 166 – 190. Body surface mostly foveolate. Anterior part of ventral plate with cerotegumental tubercles. Rostrum tridentate. Tutoria with one distal tooth. Rostral setae slightly dilated basally, ciliate unilaterally, inserted under tutorial teeth. Lamellar setae setiform, barbed, inserted on lamellar ends. Interlamellar setae short, erect, barbed. Bothridial setae fusiform, barbed. Notogaster with 10 pairs of short, thin setae. Notogastral saccules with elongated channels basally swollen. Subcapitular setae setiform, barbed. Epimeral setae short, barbed. Circumpedal carinae long, directed to anterior margin of ventral plate. Anogenital setae short, indistinctly barbed. Genital plates with four pairs of setae. Tridactylous. Ventro-posterior parts of femora I and antiaxial parts of genua I with one trapezoid apophysis. Tarsi I with 19 setae.

Description — Measurements – Small species. Body length: 315 (holotype: female), 282 – 348 (14 paratypes: five females and nine males); notogaster width 166 (holotype), 166 – 190 (14 paratypes). No differences between females and males in the body sizes.

Integument ( Figs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 4C, 4I , 5C ) — Body color yellow brownish. Body surface punctate. Notogaster, subcapitular mentum, anogenital region, genital and anal plates, medio-dorsal part of prodorsum and antero-lateral parts of epimeral region sparsely foveolate (diameter of foveolae up to 4). Pteromorphs, subcapitular mentum, pedotecta I, discidia, epimeral region, anal plates, posterior part of anogenital region, leg femora and tibiae III and IV slightly striate. Anterior part of ventral plate, which covers base of subcapitular mentum, with dense cerotegumental tubercles (their diameter up to 4).

Prodorsum ( Figs 1A, 1B, 2A, 4A–D ) — Rostrum tridentate. Lamellae (lam) two thirds as long as prodorsum (measured in lateral view), with one very small outer tooth, located dorso-laterally. Prolamellae absent. Sublamellae (slam) about one third the length of lamellae, lineate. Sublamellar porose areas (Al, 10 – 12 × 6 – 8) oval, located near to sublamellae. Tutoria (tu) similar to lamellae in length, with one strong distal tooth. Parietal carinae (car) present, parallel to tutoria. Rostral setae (ro, 28) setiform, slightly dilated basally, ciliate unilaterally, inserted laterally on prodorsum under tutorial teeth. Lamellar setae (le, 36 – 41) setiform, barbed, inserted on lamellar ends. Interlamellar setae (in, 16– 18) setiform, erect, barbed. Bothridial setae (bs, 49 – 57) fusiform, with long, smooth stalks and heads shorter, barbed. Exobothridial setae (ex, 8–10) thin, indistinctly barbed. Sejugal porose areas (Ad) diffuse, located posterior to interlamellar setae, transversely elongated.

Notogaster ( Figs 1A–C, 2A, 4E–H ) — Anterior notogastral margin convex medially. Dorsophragmata (D) elongated, longitudinally oriented. Pteromorphs triangular, with distinct hinges. Ten pairs of notogastral setae short (8 – 10), thin, smooth to indistinctly barbed. Four pairs of saccules (Sa, S1, S2 and S3) with elongated channels basally swollen. Opisthonotal gland openings (gla) and lyrifissures (ia, im, ip, ih and ips) clearly visible.

Gnathosoma ( Figs 2B–D) — Subcapitulum longer than wide (77 – 82 × 57 – 61). Subcapitular setae similar in length (14 – 18) and thickness, setiform, barbed. Two pairs of adoral setae (or 1, or 2, 6 – 8) setiform, barbed. Palps (length 49 – 53) with setation 0–2–1–3–9(+ω). Solenidia of palptarsi attached to eupathidia (acm). Postpalpal setae (ep, 8) spiniform. Chelicerae (length 86 – 90) with two barbed setae, cha (28 – 30) longer than chb (16 – 20). Trägårdh’s (Tg) organ narrowly triangular, smooth.

Epimeral and lateral podosomal regions ( Figs 1B, 2A, 4I , 5A, 5B ) — Sejugal apodemes (aposj) long, almost reaching genital aperture, longer than apodemes 2 (apo2) and 3 (apo3). Epimeral setal formula: 3–1–3–2; setae (8–10) setiform, thin, slightly barbed, 2a and 3a thicker, heavily barbed. Setae 4c and their alveoli absent. Pedotecta II trapezoid, rounded apically, with indistinct ventral tooth (in ventral view). Discidia (dis) rounded apically, with large medial expansion. Circumpedal carinae (cp) long, directed to anterior margin of ventral plate. A pair of strong podosomal teeth (t pod) welldeveloped.

Anogenital region ( Figs 1B, 1C, 2A, 5B, 5C ) — Four pairs of genital (g 1 – g 4, 6–8), one pair of aggenital (ag, 6–8), two pairs of anal (an 1, an 2, 6 – 8) and three pairs of adanal (ad 1 – ad 3, 6 – 8) setae, all setiform, thin, indistinctly barbed. Setae ad 3 in preanal position. Adanal lyrifissures (iad) located close and parallel to anal plates. Postanal porose areas (Ap) present, poorly visible, band-like, transversely oriented.

Legs ( Figs 3A–D, 4J , 5D–F ) — Tridactylous, median claw strong, lateral claws thin, all smooth. Antero-dorsal tooth (t) present on tibia I (small) and on tibia II (large). Ventro-basal triangular tublerble present on tibiae I and II. Ventro-posterior parts of femora I and antiaxial part of genua I with one trapezoid apophysis, bearing setae bv" and l", respectively. Ventro-anterior parts of femora II with one broad tooth. Porose areas on femora and trochanters III and IV well visible. Formulas of leg setation and solenidia: I (1–5–3–4–19) [1–2–2], II (1– 5–3–4–15) [1–1–2], III (2–3–1–3–15) [1–1–0], IV (1– 2–2–3–12) [0–1–0]; homology of setae and solenidia indicated in Table 1. Solenidia ω 1 on tarsi I, ω 1 and ω 2 on tarsi II and σ on genua III thickened, bluntended, other solenidia thinner, setiform.

Material examined — Holotype (male) and nine paratypes (three females and six males): Et-2014– 20; five paratypes (two females and three males): Et-2014–22.

Type deposition — The holotype is deposited in the collection of the Senckenberg Museum , Görlitz, Germany ; 14 paratypes are deposited in the collection of the Tyumen State University Museum of Zoology , Tyumen, Russia .

Etymology — This species is named in honour of Dr. Valerie Behan-Pelletier (Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada, Ottawa, Canada), to acknowledge her extensive contributions to our knowledge of oribatid mites.

Remarks — The new species is morphologically most similar to Haplozetes triungulatus Beck, 1964 from El Salvador in having long, fusiform bothridial setae, small body size, foveolate surface, short interlamellar setae, localization of rostral setae (under tutorial teeth) and tridactylous legs. However, it differs from the latter by the tridentate rostrum (vs. rounded) and presence of four pairs of genital setae (vs. five pairs) and dense cerotegumental tubercles in anterior part of ventral plate (vs. absent).

Figures

FIGURE 4: Haplozetes valbehanae n. sp., dissected adult, microscope images: A – rostrum, ventral view; B – rostral seta and medio-distal part of tutorium, right, antiaxial view; C – lamellar seta and medio-distal part of lamella, left, dorsal view; D – medio-distal part of bothridial seta, right, paraxial view; E–H – notogastral saccules Sa, S1, S2 and S3, respectively; I – cerotegumental tubercles on anterior part of ventral plate; J – distal part of leg I, left, paraxial view. Scale bar 20 µm.

FIGURE 5: Haplozetes valbehanae n. sp., dissected adult, microscope images: A – part of left podosomal region with pedotectum II, discidium and trochanter III, ventral view; B – left genital plate and part of left epimeral region, ventral view; C – part of left ano-adanal region, ventral view; D – antero-dorsal tooth on leg tibia I; E – ventro-posterior apophysis on leg femur I; F – ventro-anterior tooth on leg femur II. Scale bar 20 µm.